Highlights

• Size in One Piece doesn't always mean strength; Shanks proves that you don't need height to wield authority and deadly power.
• Luffy, despite being small, is one of the strongest Yonko thanks to his Devil Fruit powers and strategic combat skills.
• Big Mom's colossal height not only makes her intimidating, but also fuels her destructive attacks when she is hungry.

In the world of One piece, the Yonko are often considered the strongest pirates currently active, capable of causing an incredible amount of destruction. As with the Shichibukai, characters are always moving in and out of the Yonko ranks, and as a result, there have been a wide variety of individuals who have earned the label One piecethe story progressed.

The members of the Yonko are not only vastly different in their personalities, but they also bear virtually no resemblance to each other in terms of appearance. There are some Yonko who are widely considered to be literal giants due to their stature, but there have also been several smaller members who are still just as, if not more, powerful than their counterparts. Rather than matching them according to their abilities and strengths, this topic will look at how the Yonko compare in terms of overall size, and whether they have been known to use this to their advantage during an intense battle.

7 Monkey D. Luffy

Height: 5' 9″

• First appearance: Episode 1

Luffy may be the smallest Yonko ever seen in the series, but looks can be deceiving, as he is currently without a doubt one of the strongest beings in all of history, hence his status in the first place. Part of this comes from his experience with the Hito Hito no Mi Fruit, where he can unleash a multitude of hard-hitting attacks by extending his body in any playful way he can imagine.

More recently, Luffy has also gained an immense surge of power due to his Devil Fruit's connections to the ancient figure known only as Joy Boy, who was only revealed near the end of the long Wano Country arc. The fact that Luffy, who looks like an ant next to Kaido, was able to take down the giant shows just how far he's come since the early days of Romance Dawn.

6 Buggy

Height: 6' 4″

• First appearance: Episode 4

Despite being a somewhat clumsy and cowardly pirate, Buggy somehow managed to slowly rise through the ranks throughout the story until he eventually managed to officially become a warlord of the sea. To the outside world, Buggy seems like a rather formidable pirate who holds a lot of influence across the seas, especially now that he is part of the Cross Guild, but in reality, it would be hard to make a case for someone so pathetic to truly be considered a Yonko.

When he's not splitting his body to avoid being cut into pieces by his many enemies, Buggy stands at 6 feet tall, which is quite large as far as humans in the world of One piece. Again, as Buggy's Bara Bara no Mi fruit allows him to separate his body at will, this means that he often takes a more defensive approach in combat and thus will almost never use his size as a weapon, especially since he rarely engages in fighting anyway.

5 Legs

Height: 6' 6″

• First appearance: Episode 4

A person's size gives little or no indication of how strong they are. One piece, and arguably the clearest example of this is Shanks. Despite being much smaller than either Whitebeard or Big Mom, Shanks' presence alone is more than enough to instill fear in anyone he approaches, especially when he decides to activate his deadly Conqueror's Haki. In fact, it was revealed during the Marineford War that Shanks managed to prevent Kaido's involvement, which is remarkable considering the vast size difference between the two.

This proves just how much authority the red-haired pirate wields, to the point where he is able to arrange secret meetings with the Five Elders. In combat, Shanks wields a deadly blade called the Gryphon, which is nearly as large as he is, but despite his size and weapon of choice, Shanks still possesses incredible speed and agility, which he will gladly use to outmaneuver anyone who crosses his path.

4 Blackbeard

Height: 11' 3″

• First appearance: Episode 146

Unlike Buggy, who gradually became a Yonko by accident, Blackbeard had a long and devious plan where he would take advantage of his position as Shichibukai to create a new crew of prisoners that he would free from Impel Down. By the time he officially became a Yonko, he possessed two of the most powerful Devil Fruits on the planet, along with one of the deadliest pirate crews to ever sail the open seas.

Another reason why Blackbeard has become so feared is his size, which makes him extremely durable in combat. It's fair to say that Blackbeard isn't the most elegant fighter, as he prefers to simply cause as much chaos as possible, and if he has to use his gigantic fists to achieve this, he certainly won't be averse to doing so. There have long been theories that Blackbeard has some sort of unique genetic makeup that allows him to hold two Devil Fruits at once, but it's yet to be confirmed whether this has any effect on his actual appearance.

3 White beard

Height: 21' 10″

• First appearance: Episode 151

Often touted as the “strongest man in the world,” Whitebeard can also be considered one of the tallest, as he is roughly the same size as some of the smaller giants seen in the series, which is quite impressive for a human. Then again, nothing less could be expected from the rival of Gol D. Roger himself and the leader of the infamous Whitebeard Pirates.

Much like Blackbeard, Whitebeard's size makes him a difficult opponent to take down, to the point that it took 267 sword wounds, 152 bullets, and 46 cannonballs in the Marineford War alone to defeat him, and even then, he died standing on his own two feet. Combine that with his devastating Gura Gura no Mi Fruit, which is capable of causing entire earthquakes, and his expertise in Haki and it's no wonder that even the mention of Whitebeard's name is enough to send shivers down most characters' spines.

2 Kaido

Height: 23' 4″

• First appearance: Episode 736

Kaido arguably has one of the most memorable character introductions ever seen in the series. As the giant launches himself from a Sky Island towards the surface, a narrator explains that this Yonko has been captured several times by the World Government, but due to his size and strength, they have never been able to kill him for good. After his failed suicide attempt, Kaido emerges from the crater where he can be seen towering over Kid, Hawkins, and Apoo, who are understandably shaking in fear at what they have just witnessed.

As shown in his numerous fights against Luffy and Yamato, Kaido regularly uses his superior size to attack his opponents, either with his fists or with his giant club, which he is able to swing at lightning speed despite his size. If that's not enough, Kaido can also take to the skies with his Mythical-Zoan Dragon Fruit, where he gains a number of new abilities and techniques to incinerate his opponents.

1 Big Mother

Height: 28' 10″

• First appearance: Episode 571

Despite her enormous stature, Big Mom usually prefers to let her misfit family deal with anyone who tries to invade her island, but when she decides to take matters into her own hands, she becomes one of the most terrifying characters in the entire series. This is especially the case when Big Mom starts to get a little hungry after going without food for a few hours, which will send her on a rampage where she will willingly annihilate friends and enemies alike until she gets something that satisfies her taste buds.

In fact, according to Capone near the beginning of Whole Cake Island, Big Mom is more than capable of destroying entire cities and battleships without even breaking a sweat, and could even destroy the mountain-sized Sweet City Castle itself if she were to indulge in one of her wish-induced attacks. Despite being defeated by Luffy and his allies, Big Mom will always remain one of the most intimidating antagonists of all time. One pieceand its size is a big reason why.